Infection Control Matters

More posters from ESCMID Global 2024, inc C. diff, UV-C, wastewater surveillance, LA-MRSA

This week we have a second batch of posters that we liked at ESCMID Global and will be talking about:
VRE Surveillance using hospital waste water during an outbreak
Assessing the Hawthorne effect: Implications and solutions
The impact of an early Infectious Disease consultation for CLABSI: a single centre retrospective study
Semi-continuous disinfection of sinks with UVC on a haematologydepartment for infection prevention
Urinary tract microbiome of asymptomatic individuals with spinal cord injury
Nurses known to be colonized with livestock-associated MRSA did not cause transmission to patients
Clostridium difficile contamination of australian retail vegetables and households
Prolonged use of breathing systems used in anesthesia for up to 7 days instead of 24H
A pdf of the posters can be downloaded here

Posters from ESCMID Global 2024 - Part 1

In this episode Brett, Phil and Martin tour the posters at ESCMID Global 2024 and we discuss some of them with the authors. A link to images of the posters can be found below.
Here are the posters we discuss
AMR Surveillance in waste water and clinical isolates from a tertiary hospital: Preliminary results
Deciphering the temporal short-term dynamics of Acinetobacter baumanii: Impact of colonisation pressure in infection in an endemic Indian intensive care unit (Manasa Tantry discussion)
Post-antibiotic risk for recurrent lower respiratory tract infection during prolonged hospitalisation
Transmission of MDRO during physical and occupational therapy appointmants a 3 Veterans Affairs Hospitals
Aircraft lavatory wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV2 and other coronaviruses by using family-wide RT-PCR, Thailand, October – November 2023
Enhancing feedback and implementation of infection risk scan findings (IRIS) among healthcare workers in nursing homes
Proper glove use: a multicentre before-after regional study (Anne F. Voor and Juliëtte Severin discussion)
Poster link to see the posters we discuss Posters from ESCMID Global - Part 1
More posters to come!

Reflections on Day 3 at ESCMID Global 2024

It was day 3 at ESCMID Global 2024 and Phil, Brett and Martin mull over the day. Amongst the items we discuss are:
What does endogenous really mean?
AI in the IPC space - friend or foe?
Fungal outbreaks - epidemiological challenges and tracing the source
Automated bloodstream infection surveillance
The Euro PPS survey results - data in action (or inaction)
Subsequent to the podcast recording the ECDC PPS results have been published and can be found here:
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/healthcare-associated--infections-antimicrobial-use-point-prevalence-survey-2016-2017.pdf

Reflections on day 2 of ESCMID Global 2024

In this episode, Phil, Brett and Martin dicuss more sessions from ESCMID Global (Barcelona, 2024). We talk about sessions on cleaning the occupied bed space, SSI prevention and the difficulty of designing and executing good studies in IPC. We were particularly interested in papers from Italy on the use of probiotics in IPC and some papers from Prof Cassini's group are highlighted below.
Calabro GE, Caselli E, Rognoni C, Laurenti P, Moscato U, ML DIP, et al. [Health Technology Assessment of the introduction of the Probiotic Cleaning Hygiene System (PCHS) in the Italian healthcare setting: update]. J Prev Med Hyg. 2023;64:E1-E35. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37881619
D'Accolti M, Soffritti I, Bini F, Mazziga E, Cason C, Comar M, et al. Shaping the subway microbiome through probiotic-based sanitation during the COVID-19 emergency: a pre-post case-control study. Microbiome. 2023;11:64. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36991513
D'Accolti M, Soffritti I, Bini F, Mazziga E, Mazzacane S, Caselli E. Pathogen Control in the Built Environment: A Probiotic-Based System as a Remedy for the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance. Microorganisms. 2022;10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35208679
Caselli E, Purificato I. Could we fight healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance with probiotic-based sanitation? Commentary. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2020;56:263-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32959791|
Caselli E, D'Accolti M, Vandini A, Lanzoni L, Camerada MT, Coccagna M, et al. Impact of a Probiotic-Based Cleaning Intervention on the Microbiota Ecosystem of the Hospital Surfaces: Focus on the Resistome Remodulation. PLoS One. 2016;11:e0148857. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26886448

Discussing the new WHO infectious respiratory particles paper at ECCMID (With Prof Cath Noakes)

In this episode, Brett, Martin and Phil mull over the newly published WHO discussion document on respiratory particles and Martin catches up with Prof Cath Noakes from the School of Engineering in Leeds, UK to get her take on it.
 
You can download the document we are discussing here
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/global-technical-consultation-report-on-proposed-terminology-for-pathogens-that-transmit-through-the-air

ECCMID 2024 - The year in infection control

In this podcast, Brett and Martin reflect on the "Infection Control Papers of the Year" presented at ECCMID (AKA ESCMID Global) 2024.
Here are a selection of some of the papers mentioned:
Decolonization in Nursing Homes to Prevent Infection and Hospitalization https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37815935/
Reducing Hospitalizations and Multidrug-Resistant Organisms vi a Regional Decolonization in Hospitals and Nursing Homes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38557703/
Prevention of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia in Switzerland: a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36893785/
Skin Antisepsis before Surgical Fixation of Extremity Fractures https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307679
Trial of Vancomycin and Cefazolin as Surgical Prophylaxis in Arthroplasty https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301401
Investigation of individual nurses' relative hand hygiene performance using an anonymous automated electronic hand hygiene monitoring system and a nursing assignment schedule https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(22)00468-0/abstract
Environmental cleaning to prevent hospital-acquired infections on non-intensive care units: a pragmatic, single-centre, cluster randomized controlled, crossover trial comparing soap-based, disinfection and probiotic cleaning https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37089619/

Reflections on the first morning at ECCMID 2024

In our first episode from ECCMID Global 2024, Martin and Brett reflect on the session on design of the healthcare environment sessions from Profs Hilary Humphries and Cath Noakes and a flash poster session featuring VRE Reservoirs in the environment and a tremendous piece of  Burkolderia sleuthing from the UKHSA

Visualising infection transmission using genomics

In this podcast, we chat with Dr Brian Forde about HAIviz. HAIviz an interactive dashboard for visualising and integrating healthcare-associated genomic epidemiological data. HAIviz displays and links the outbreak timeline, building map, phylogenetic tree, patient bed movements, and transmission network on a single interactive dashboard.
You can view and use the tool for free at https://haiviz.fordelab.com 
Papers referred to in the podcast:
Permana, B., Harris, P. N., Roberts, L. W., Cuddihy, T., Paterson, D. L., Beatson, S. A., & Forde, B. M. (2024). HAIviz: an interactive dashboard for visualising and integrating healthcare-associated genomic epidemiological data. Microbial Genomics, 10(2), 001200.
 
 

Investigating a unique CPE strain outbreak - a possible new place to look?

In this episode, Martin Kiernan talks to Mitch Clarke, Clinical Lead and Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Nottingham University Hospitals in the UK. We discuss an outbreak with a unique NDM CPE infection and look at where the investigations went, including a new reservoir that is a potential source - the floor scrubber.
Papers underpinning this work are here:
1. Benbow A, Clarke M, Yates C, Montgomery R, Staniforth K, Boswell T, et al. Hospital-wide healthcare-associated carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales outbreak: risks of electric floor scrubbers in catering facilities and kitchens. J Hosp Infect. 2024;146:59-65. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38341149 2. Prescott K, Billam H, Yates C, Clarke M, Montgomery R, Staniforth K, et al. Outbreak of New Delhi Metallo-Beta-lactamase Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacterales on a bone marrow transplant unit: Role of the environment. Infect Prev Pract. 2021;3:100125. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34368742

C. difficile in England is on the rise, but why? A sign of a system on the edge and could a new variant push it over?

In this episode, Martin Talks to Dr Mark Wilcox OBE, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leeds, Head of Microbiology Research & Development at Leeds University Hospitals NHS Trust and National Clinical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at NHS England. We mull over the possible reasons for the increase in hospital-onset, hospital attributed cases in England, including ribotypes and antibiotic use. Given that the NHS is under great stress, we discuss the damage potential from a ribotype 955 which shares some genetic characteristics with the 027 ribotype that caused so many problems in the UK and worldwide in the early 2000s. One thing that we agree on is that reductions targets (with teeth) have been very successful in the past and should we venture in that direction again?
Information on data collection, hospital and national typing reports for England can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/clostridium-difficile-guidance-data-and-analysis#epidemiology